I live in a college town. There are a lot of very smart people all around me, in the grocery store, in my Sunday School class, on the streets. They are everywhere. It’s no big deal to have a terminal degree (Phd, MD or Law Degree). Many of these people are experts in their particular […]
Tips for Writing the Perfect Beginning #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
Raise your hand if you already know that the beginning of your novel must hook the reader? My guess is everyone’s hands shot in the air. Writing the perfect beginning, one that establishes mood, voice, genre, place. One that introduces characters and one that hooks. I’m exhausted just thinking about everything the first few pages […]
Writers as Lone Wolves with Lots of People in Their Heads
Most #writers spend their days in solitary work #amwriting Click To Tweet They sludge away at their computers, coming out for brief interactions with the fridge. Their thoughts day and night center around their characters and what they are up to. There’s never a dull moment even though their days look dull from the outside. […]
Tips for Turning Your Manuscript Upside Down #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop
This month I’m joining the #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop with a look how to stomach a major rework of your manuscript. It’s not something any of us want to do or look forward to doing, but there are instances where we must give it a go. I’ve had some experience with this and thought I’d share some tips. […]
Tips for Dealing with Feedback on Your WIP
Writers usually work in solitude #amwriting Click To Tweet They create events, characters and stories and then they ask for feedback. While in solitude, we allow our creative minds to take us places that are often unexpected, surprising and sometimes startling. When we permit ourselves to move in the realm of creativity, we find we […]
Writers Tips for Showing Feelings
The word, “feel,” connotes telling. When you say Jake felt anger, you are telling. How can a writer show feelings without telling the reader how the person felt #writingtips Click To Tweet This becomes a major conundrum in the world of creative writing. We want our characters to have feelings, strong emotions, but how do […]
When Everything Grinds to a Halt
Sometimes in the world of writing and publishing everything grinds to a halt #amwriting Click To Tweet There is a flurry of activity when galley’s come in or when a book is on its final stages. Then off it goes either to a publisher or to an editor. Suddenly everything stops. You wait. The dilemma […]
New Contract for New Book Means More Work!
Many people think that writing a novel is hard. Indeed it is #amwriting Click To Tweet But, I find all the little things that come after the writing even harder. In fact, most writers will tell you that the creation of the story, the evolution of the characters, the movement of the plot, all spell […]
What in the World are People Thinking?
Do you ever look around and wonder what people are thinking? #amwriting Click To Tweet As you walk down the hall at work or through the aisles in the grocery store, do you imagine thoughts in other people’s heads? Are they thinking about how much their feet hurt or wondering what their spouse will get […]
Thriller Writer, Matthew Peters, Talks about Researching his Novel
Most people believe everything in fiction is made up. Readers, however, demand much more than that of writers. They demand credibility and genuineness. So when Matthew Peters began working on his suspense thriller, The Brothers’ Keepers, he had to immerse himself in quite a bit of research. The main character uncovers remote truths about Christianity that […]
